In for a Treat: Nouq’s Camel Milk Ice Cream

Ever tried camel milk? Now it’s time to try camel milk ice cream.

If you’re parading around Zabeel Park’s Friday Ripe Market while holidaying in Dubai, you can’t miss Nouq’s inviting kiosk. A homegrown brand known for its premium quality ice cream, chocolate pralines and hot chocolate (all of which are made from whole camel milk), has created waves with its scrumptious flavors in Dubai.

At first, it may seem like the offerings are similar to any other ice cream made from regular cow/buffalo milk but you’ll be pleasantly surprised upon trying. Camel milk ice cream is noticeably lighter and a whole lot healthier. Just like dates, this mineral & vitamin-rich milk is a staple ingredient in the Emirates culture and has been an important part of the Nomadic diet. It is low in calories and cholesterol and has certain antioxidant, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it suitable for lactose-intolerant people as well. Unlike many industrial ice creams that use milk powder, Nouq uses pure whole pasteurized camel milk that helps provide the required creaminess and unctuousity one wants while eating ice cream. Due to its low fat and high mineral content, camel milk may be a bit watery and salty at first, but it is an ideal natural flavor enhancer – a quality that’s pretty evident with the ice creams as well. One bite and you’ll be digging in for lots more as each flavor is beautifully enhanced and has a subtle after-taste.

Upon being asked about Nouq, the founders – Stephan & Fredrick say, ‘NOUQ champions a local ingredient of historical significance, amid growing appetite for local food concepts. On realizing the potential and versatility of camel milk as a newly recognized superfood ingredient, we decided to go to untested territories with a line of camel milk-based specialty food products that would delight people from many cultures. Our company NOUQ is named after the Arabic “female camels”.’

Their goal is to make a mark in the international food space by diversifying to global markets. While they’re currently changing Dubai’s ice cream scene, they are already in talks with partners in Oman, Qatar, Koweït, Saudi Arabia, India, UK, and America. At the moment, this one-of-a-kind ice cream brand supplies to select restaurants, hotels, cafes like The Oberoi Dubai – Raffles Dubai, Palazzo Versace, Bab Al Qasr Abu Dhabi, JW Marriott Marquis during Ramadan, Al Fanar, Seven Sands and retail stores like Ripe Organic Farm Shop around Dubai. It can also be easily spotted at the Ripe Market and at Al Barsha Pond Park.

With an arsenal of innovative flavors like baklava, honey saffron, Arabic mastic, lotus as well as classic flavors like chocolate, pistachio, date, mango among others; Nouq’s ice creams are a real treat. So if you’re spending some leisure time in the land of deserts, make sure you don’t miss out on this dessert! After all, you can’t buy happiness but you can buy ice cream and that’s kind of the same thing, right?

Born & brought up in India, Desha loves to click, eat and travel – not always in the same order. Her fondest memories have been created around a dinner table sharing a delicious meal with the family, huddling by a street cart vendor with a friend or indulging in life-changing conversations over a cup of coffee. After having worked with a magazine, an advertising firm and a pr agency, she decided to venture out on her own and created That Foodie Chick - a platform through which she expresses her unflinching love for food, photography, travel and real-life experiences. Even though she loves to explore different cultures and cuisines, she's a true Mumbai (soon-to-be Dubai) girl at heart!